This blog was set up to communicate what's happening in Mosul to the rest of the world, minute by minute by an independent historian inside Mosul.

Post navigation

News of the previous days

ISIS cancelled the “recommendation” condition in order to join its lines. Volunteering to join their lines during the first days used to require a recommendation from two people; one of them must be an ISIS member and another from the notables of the neighbourhood where the volunteer lives. But now, the door of volunteering is fully open to anyone who wishes to volunteer. Many have gone to the volunteering centres, especially that ISIS promise them to receive a monthly salary, improve their living conditions and arrange marriages for the singles.

Arrests of many citizens by “Al-Hisba Diwan” [belongs to ISIS] for the charges of disturbing general manners, smoking and selling cigarettes.

The rise in prices in Mosul causes a state of extreme anxiety among the citizens; the vegetables prices have now doubled.

It does not seem like there is a near end to ISIS. Following the sharply toned warnings issued by ISIS leads in the city regarding opposing anyone who stands against them, the city returned to its usual quietness, to the silence and to leaving solving the problem to “God” as many had expressed. However, a new wave of anger started in the city, but this time it’s not against ISIS; it’s against men of faith, men of religion, whose “betrayal of the city” is being expressed by the people. Voices started rising and thinking regarding “the truth of God’s existence”. This is the first time I hear someone doubting the existing of God in Mosul which is known to be strictly religious and conservative. Many of the youth I know repeated this sentence “God must proves his existence now”. Many spoke that God had abandoned the city, in front of me.

Continuous movement of families migrating from Mosul’s outskirts and Syria to inside Mosul. Many of them are now living in Christians’, Shiaa’s, and Army and Police members’ homes [whose owners escaped ISIS].

This incidence happened in front of me in Al-Dawasa area: I was with a friend, drinking tea in one of the cafes, then 4 ISIS members entered. I knew from their accent that they are from Mosul’s outskirts (villagers). They sat in the seats next to us and were talking loudly about “prohibition of smoking and shisha”. His friend asked him: “how are you going to manage and you smoke 4 cigarette packs a day?” he answered him in a loud laughter: “I am not included in this decision”.

Sunday 3/8/2014

Today at 9 am, a missile fell on Al-A’arabi [The Arab] neighbourhood which targeted the apartment of Professor in Literature named “Akram Abd Al-Razaq”. It killed him, along with his wife and his 3 children.

News regarding ISIS control over Sinjar, Mosul’s damp, and Zimmar is the active talk of people here. ISIS had controlled Mosul in the same scenario, now they controlled Sinjar. I got news from inside Sinjar that Peshmerga had withdrawn in the morning from Sinjar and its surrounding areas, so ISIS entered it very quietly. Their entrance to Sinjar means a massacre to happen soon to the Yazidi residents and the Shiaas who live there, especially that ISIS treats Yazidis by the principle “death or Islam” without a third option. There are news too which says that ISIS had spread flyers which says that Yazidi residents don’t have any choice except “slaughter”. I must point out here that Al-Qaeda had committed terrible and awful massacres against Yazidis in the previous years which caused all the Yazidis to migrate from Mosul and they completely emptied it.

Careful silence prevails in Mosul regarding the resistance movement against ISIS. No opposed operations happened since the last warning announced by ISIS, but Mosul today is semi-empty of ISIS. There is only just few pointed spread in the city, and some neighbourhoods of Mosul’s left side [eastern] are completely empty from ISIS.

As for the social changes inside the city, it’s very easy to notice how “active” the Islamic police which were made by ISIS in the city. I heard much news from people I know that people are going to “ISIS militants in the Islamic police” in order to solve their disputes. What is so called “grievance council” is full of people who are presenting their complains. This means that ISIS had made social progress inside the city, which makes it easier for them to force their control.

Monday

Since the dawn of 4th of August, drones started shelling people’s houses randomly. The shelling happened in Al-Meedan and Al-Farooq neighbourhood and as a result 3 houses collapsed on their residents. The shelling in Al-Qayara also killed the father whilst the rest of the family were badly injured and the neighbouring house fell over.